Hello everyone! Its been so long since I have been here! I haven't had a computer for a long time! But I am back...and I am sick..waaaaa.

I have a quick question before I have to go back to my bed....

I have WBC 3.7, differenitals are ok. Swollen left cervical node, very painful, pain in left side lymph nodes down to my knees, low grade temp and sheer exhaustion.

Went to the doc, not the rheumy, who said I have viral parotitis, or mumps. But.. he was guessing, and I know he was guessing. He was a first year PA. I do not have parotid gland swelling, but do have some pain in the saliva gland.

The PA, nor the doctor at the urgent care could tell me if Lupus/auto immune can cause just the left side lymph nodes to swell, or does it have to be all over?

They didn't seem concerned, told me to just wait it out, but its been 10 days now and I am feeling no better, maybe worse.

I want to call my Rheumy, but I do not have a phone right now. Yep, its winter in Montana and the financial aspect of my life is in the dumps.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Also, I have possible sjogrens, but the doctor said that if my parotid gland were infected as a by product of the sjogrens, I would have an elevated WBC, not low. Plus, I have plenty of saliva right now, but it is rather thick. Prior to this happening I was feeling good, but was having NO saliva in my mouth all night long.

Thank you again, I hope you are all doing well. I will read posts that I missed when I am able to sit up here longer.

Do you have insurance??? Was your question, should you contact your rheumy?

If you have been feeling bad for several days, you might want to get to a phone and give them a call. This being Friday, you probably won't be able to reach them till Monday and by then you'll really know if this has gone on too long.

The ER is not a good place to get a dx. Even the rheumy takes several visits to get a good history, do mega blood work and piece everything together.

I hope you have some medical insurance, as it sounds like you are having a lean time of it right now. If your heat isn't warm enough, the cold can make you feel worse too. Make sure you find a way to sleep warm. If you don't have electric blanket or corn bags, you can heat up a good heavy frying pan and wrap it in a towel to place under your covers and warm up the bed.

Keep us posted!

Sending you some hot tea and a hug!!

Blessings!

In His Grip

AlwaysRosie "We can't control the waves, but we can learn how to surf!!"

Thanks for the reply. I guess my question was this... can lupus cause us to have just the lymph nodes on the left side of our neck, collar bone and underarm swollen? Or would it have to be bilateral throughout the whole body.

Thank you for the advice on keeping warm, thankfully I do still have electric! But, I do not have medical insurance, and it is a big problem for me right now. I went to the doctors office where my primary was, he had left the practice at the beginning of the year, and thats where they did the bloodwork. I suppose that since my WBC count is low, it means it is not a bacterial infection.

I did put a call in to my rheumy's office, but like you said will have to wait until Monday for a reply.

Not sure if you remember, but I had clostridium difficile for a long long time. I finally got rid of that horrible thing and now its something else. Seems like thats how it goes!

Hmmm... I don't know if lupus would cause the swollen glands just on the one side. I'm like you and would be wondering if it's related to the sjogrens or maybe something else. I think I have read that a low white blood count is a symptom of lupus but I can't remember why.

It's good to hear from you but I'm sorry that you are getting hit with one thing after another. I'm glad you called your rheumy and I hope that you can start to get some answers soon. Not knowing what is worng is really hard to deal with. Please keep us updated on how you are doing and what you find out.

Monkeyme, It is so rare to see mumps this day in time because of immunizations. Can you go to an emergency room? I realize you don't have insurance; but they can't refuse to treat you. Swollen lymph nodes for that length of time is nothing to play off. You need to see a real doctor!! Take care of yourself! God Bless You, Judy

I'm really sorry Darlene, I just don't know that there is a sure answer to your questions. Lots of Lupus stuff IS bi-lateral. . . but not all. But like the others have said Sjogrens, Lupus, Mumps . . . You need Doctor House!!! LOL

I'm so sorry you are stuck with no insurance. Is there any way you can apply for medicaid??? Not sure what qualifies a person, but income is one of the criteria. Something to check into. Also, in Lupus Resources (link in my signature) there is a post about free or low cost meds. Make sure to check into that if you haven't already found a way to get help with your meds. Also, make sure to ask your doctors for samples from the office. They are usually happy to give them to patients without prescription coverage.

Keep us posted.

Blessings!

In His Grip

AlwaysRosie "We can't control the waves, but we can learn how to surf!!"